I Will Follow You Into the Dark
by AkaiiNeko
Summary: inukag Kagome is next in line to the throne of Yamoto, but disaster strikes when her country is attacked by a neighboring country, Atsugi. Her plans are put on hold as she is forced to go into hiding with the Warriors of Twilight. Will she survive it?
1. Prologue: Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does tho.

A/N: Hey guys, this is my first fanfiction so I'd appreciate encouraging words or constructive criticism if nothing else. But for the most part, I just want you guys to enjoy this story! Ok, so the first part is a poem I wrote which eventually became the inspiration for this fanfiction, so some of the themes presented in it may show up in later chapters.

The day comes to an end when the dark drowns the sky in twilight.

One by one the stars come out, until the sky is enveloped by darkness.

The forever night drains my memory, as I drift through dreams of bright morning.

As the sun breaks through borders of the far off horizon, I feel joy for a new day.

And twilight comes again all too quickly, enveloping me again in endless night.

But I know you are there, my protector from the night.

Hiding me from perils: dangers, which I cannot see.

If it is you that is this supposed danger, I could not imagine it to be so.

Your perfection spikes my heart, as seeing I am not even worthy of your presence.

Yet I yearn so much for your company.

Why leave me alone?

Stay with me please and calm my endless worries.

Are the others coming for me now?

To take me from your warm arms, which have been so comforting: pulling me closer.

Even though your arms should be pushing me, farther and farther from you.

And you know that, don't you?

Can you not bring yourself to do it? To leave me?

Please declare it so for I need not find any other solace than the peace I share with you.

So protect me from this night and from the others threatening to take me from this place that I call home.

Let this not be the twilight of our days,

Let not the dark envelope the light that I share with you.

And I shall remain with you forever,

To share with you endless nights and days,

My warrior of Twilight.

(A/N: now on with the story…prologue)

Tears were streaming down the young princess's face as she grasped her father's elegant robes.

"No, Father, don't leave now! I will miss you too much!"

He reached down to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Kagome, darling, I will miss you as well, but I must leave to help our country."

A look of determination surfaced in her eyes: the same look she always used when she fought for her way.

"But why, father? Isn't there any other way?"

A small smile graced his lips, contradicting the grim look in his eyes as he shook his head from side to side. "I'm afraid not, but I will return soon. Remember, your first duty is to your country, take care of your mother while I am gone." He gently loosened Kagome's grasp and brought her into his strong embrace.

"I will, father, I promise, I promise." Kagome buried her small face in his shoulder. Reluctantly, she let go of him as he mounted his horse. Tears continued to stream down her face as she ran back to her mother and watched her father leave the castle gates on horseback with other knights accompanying him.

She grasped her mother's hand as she was led back inside the castle.

Little did she know that it would be the last time she was to see her father, and that soon, her life would be changed forever.

A/N: okay, so that was incredibly short for a prologue, but don't worry, none of the other chapters are even near this short. So I'll be excited to hear any feedback if you have any.

Until next time,

3 AkaiiNeko


	2. Council of Yamoto

Disclaimer: Do I own Inuyasha? Nope… Will I ever? Nope…but Rumiko Takahashi certainly does…sigh

A/N: okay, so on with this little fairytale…much longer chapters than last time. At the beginning, I realize this story will be moving pretty fast, but that's because we gotta get to the good stuff! But I believe there is enough setting so that nothing is confusing. But let me know if there is stuff I can edit or add to lessen any confusion if there is any.

As I remember back to the day of my father's funeral, all I can seem to grasp is that I couldn't cry. It was probably from the shock of his death, I was only 7 years old, but I had cried when he left, why not at his death?

The tears came later as the days passed, and it finally settled in that I would never see him again.

When I was younger, I could never understand why he had died. I understand now that he had left to make negotiations with one of the neighboring countries, Atsugi. However, to his surprise, the leader of the country, King Naraku had expected him there and killed him the instant he arrived: going back on his promise of making peace with us.

The Atsugians are still known to be tyrants, the country being completely populated by demons. My family had led our people never to trust the demons, and now I see the reason why. The Atugians have continued to stand as our worst enemies, but to go so far as to kill our king, set our country on edge. No wonder why we are now in a war.

Taking the crown as my responsibility is solely for my father, for he would never want me to abandon his people. The year then was 1584.

The doors to my chamber swung open, "Finally you're awake, Kagome!" I smiled weakly, because I never really slept well after my father's death, and it had already been almost 10 years since he died. The nightmares that invaded my dreams as I tried to sleep never ceased to wake me with a cold sweat.

"Kagome, have you been crying?" I wiped absentmindedly at my cheeks, doing my best to rid them of moisture. I had not realized that my remembrances had brought me to tears.

The maid, and also my best friend, Sango, sat silently at the bottom of my bed. She was only 3 years older than myself, making her 20, and we had practically grown up together. And so, I let her skip the formalities and let her just call me by my real name.

She was gorgeous, with her ebony hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her brown eyes were highlighted with soft pink eye makeup. At this time in the morning, I'm sure I could be easily compared to Medusa.

"What is the matter, old dreams bothering you again?" She was so good. I smiled widely and laughed slightly, incredulous to note that she knew me so well as to unmask my problems.

"Yeah, Sango, they have been troubling me for some time now."

"Well, I can't advise anything else than what I say every day: that it is time now to let go. You know your father would want you to move on. You are now rightful heir to the throne of Yamato."

"I know, I know, duty to my country comes first." I replied. Even if my father had died, his favorite saying had not: it was forever embedded in my brain; at least I had something to remember him by.

"I also have the plans set for you today" Sango started. She ignored me as I groaned and continued to tell me, "first you are to join your mother and younger brother in the dining hall for the morning meal, then you are to join your mother in the weekly Council of Yamato…"

My disgust grew more as she continued talking. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore Sango, but the things she was suggesting were not on my list of priorities: sewing, embroidering, and practically starving myself. The occasional times I did actually get to do something I wanted to do, I practiced my archery, which I was coming to be very fond of. It was nice to break out of my very womanly façade every once and a while.

But the Council of Yamato, that was what I _never _looked forward to, and it happened once every week! Basically all it is is a bunch of pompous overstuffed aristocrats telling me how I should live my life! And all I can do is sit back and smile…wouldn't want to over stimulate my "fragile" self. What I wouldn't give to…

"Princess?" I was suddenly interrupted from my devilish thoughts, as Sango was suddenly worried from the face I was apparently making. I also had the inclination that I was making a choking gesture with my hands.

Instead of answering her, I quickly swept from bed in order for her to dress me up in my corset: stupid contraption. And to my greatest luck, Sango just had to be a particularly strong, healthy young woman and was very good at making the corset tight enough to cut off any air circulation.

"Are you quite alright? You seem…flushed." Sango asked. I choked back,"I can imagine so", _seeming as how I can't even breathe_, "however," I assured her, "it is nothing. Tell mother I will be down soon."

"Right then, Kagome, please do not dawdle." She drew a quick curtsy as she left from the room, closing the door quietly behind her. My dress for the day was surprisingly plain, as I liked it: it was a pale blue, down to my ankles, as appropriate for any dress, and the neck ran as a "V" with frilly white lace popping out of the collar.

As I headed down to the dining hall, I heard my mother, Queen Keiko and my younger brother, Souta talking at the table. They were currently speaking of Souta's new educational studies, and that he should almost be ready to start jousting, since he was almost 14 years old. But as I walked into the room, the conversation changed as my mother greeted me.

"Well, good morning, we thought you would never show up." I was hardly laughing as I took my seat next to them at the table. But Souta greeted me kindly enough and politely passed me some of the fruit.

These mornings were always awkward and we sat there for some moments in silence until a young squire came loudly galloping into the room. He addressed us, saying, "Your Highnesses, it is my duty to inform you that all council members are now present and are ready for your presences."

"Thank you, pageboy" my mother replied quietly. Secretly in my heart I wished for all those men to leave right now, to just leave us all alone. As much as I wanted the best for my country, I cared for my mother as well. Seeming as how she has almost no say in what is going on at the meetings, she gets stomped on every time. Do they not realize how burdened she is already, trying to raise her children as well as raise a country?

However, my mother believed they knew best, and so, she rose silently from her chair, as I did in order to follow her. We both bid Souta goodbye as we exited the dining hall together and into my father's study.

_**(A/N: okay, so this next section is kinda weird cause I had to make up names for the different dukes, and they ended up sounding very English instead of Japanese, so excuse that since they are very minor characters anyway…)**_

My ears practically burned from the amount of noise erupting from the tiny room as about 20 men's voices fought to be heard at once. My mother had to raise her hands to acknowledge that we had arrived and that it was time to quit quarreling.

The men stood as we entered, and did not sit until we had, for it was a common respect, pretty much the only respect, that they had to show us.

"Welcome, gentlemen." My mother greeted calmly, "I would like to begin this session of the Council of Yamoto, by first expressing my thanks for you all to be here." I wish she could have quit it with the formalities: they certainly wouldn't show here any if it was out of their way.

Apparently, that showed on my face, seeming as my mother gave me a tiny nudge, signaling that I should at least show some gratitude, even if it was half-hearted.

One of the dukes, sitting in the corner of the room stated matter-of-factly, "At a certain age, it is only proper that a woman should be married and not be burdened with matters of state. In Kagome's special position, it is even more vital that she have someone to share all of her new power with." Great, now they didn't think I could handle ruling a country simply because I was a WOMAN.

"We as the Council have decided that it is time for Princess Kagome to be betrothed in order to gain her proper rule on the throne." The others nodded their heads in silent agreement as he stated this, and I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

My mother, however, was not surprised by this compromise and so stated, "Very well. What are our options and how soon?" The Duke of Wellsworth stated, "As soon as possible. We need the extra bonds between our bordering lands to help us fight the Atsugians because right now the odds have not been in our favor for this war."

I sighed with disgust. The large swarm of suitors was now to start, and I had to endure every last minute of it: the praising, the wooing, flirting. That pretty much ended a short council meeting, which I did not object to, because it was one of those rare days that I was allowed to go practice my archery.

I didn't waste a moment as the meeting was called to a close and I headed straight for the back gardens. There, my teacher, Ms. Ayumi was waiting for me next to the haystack that held the small target I was aiming for.

"Good day, princess. Shall we start, then?" "Yes, of course!" I said, a little too eagerly as she handed over by bow and one arrow for me to shoot. I stepped back to the marker and took my stance. Unfortunately, this was the worst part of all for me.

Ms. Ayumi kept insisting that my stance was much to loose, causing me stiffen uncomfortably in order to gain proper stance. As I laced the arrow and prepared to shoot, she made yet another comment, "Princess, you are not aiming right, your feet are too far apart…" and such remarks continued through the session until she finally let me release the arrow.

It ended up flying straight into the ground, seeming, as I was so rigid I couldn't have placed that arrow anywhere else even if I had wanted to. As much as I wanted Ms. Ayumi to let me do it my way, to see if I was capable, I wanted so much just to please her and to show that I wasn't a prissy princess just wanting to seem rebellious. It was then that I was forced to go inside to finish my studies, which included Latin and embroidery.

Later that night, while I sat embroidering by the fire, Sango came to sit down next to me, so I could talk to her about the day's events. The secret between Sango and me was that I always told her what occurred in the Councils, even if it was supposed to be confidential business.

"They want you to be married?" Sango spoke with excitement. "Yes." I concluded, with much less enthusiasm.

"That's absolutely glorious! Think of all the new dresses you'll get and all those gifts from handsome princes!" After a moment's pause, I replied, "That's not what I want."

Sango gave me a puzzled look. "Then what do you want, Kagome?" In truth, I didn't truly know what I wanted. It wasn't a handsome prince and certainly not being married to one. But wasn't that every girl's dream?

"I don't know, Sango, but I guess that, well…" "Tell me." She insisted quietly.

"I need a life. I want an adventure, some place to go where I can experience other things, things I can't find here."

Sango was quiet as she grasped what I was saying and then added, "But Kagome, you are so lucky here. What else could there possibly be that you would want?"

I was silent for a while as I finished embroidering the flower print I was holding and whispered, "I want a true love, Sango, not a match set up for me just for the country. My whole duty has been to my country, but why not for once myself."

"You speak wise words for a woman your age, Kagome, but dangerous ones at that. You can't just defy everything the Council tells you to do, unfortunately."

We spoke of nothing else the rest of the night, and I quietly slumped off to bed seeming as I was practically fighting myself not to fall asleep.

That night, I believed I slept the best I had in many years, but for why, I don't know. But my peace was interrupted, as the chamber doors were swung open abruptly, much more so than yesterday as Sango stormed in and shook me out of bed.

"Kami, Sango, I couldn't have possibly slept for more than three hours."

"That's because you didn't." Her voice was urgent as she said, "I need to dress you quickly and you are ordered to be downstairs immediately."

I couldn't imagine what was wrong as she tightly strapped my corset on and dressed me. I practically ran down the stairs, excused at that time for the occasion and ran into my father's study where my mother and the dukes of the surrounding regions were waiting.

As soon as I took my seat, my mother questioned, "Now why is it gentlemen, that you have called us together yet again for another council in the middle of the night?" I would ask the same if I wasn't so out of breath. Two councils in one day must mean true problems.

The first to speak was the Duke of Alegria, seeming as he was urged to bring up the subject that they were all harshly discussing.

"It seems to be that Atsugi is gaining the upper hand in the battle for our king." He stated hesitantly, "we do not believe it will be long until they reach the castle, your highness."

My mother sat quietly as she accepted this new information. She suddenly asked quietly, "How long?" The others looked warily at each other until my mother asked forcefully again, "_How long_?" Her stress in every word was apparent, throwing the others and myself back for a moment at her sudden hostility. I had never seen her like this.

She added calmly, "Gentlemen, if this is risking either myself, or my daughter's life, this could mean the end of Yamoto. Please share the information you possess with me, _now_."

The Duke of Alegria stated then, sharply, "Tonight, they will reach us here tonight." I heard the breath catch simultaneously in both my mother's and my own throat. She questioned solemnly, "What is there that we can do?"

Another duke from Calunian answered, "Well first, we must evacuate you and-, " "No, I am staying here." My mother interrupted.

The duke then said, "But your highness, you are not safe here, you must leave and-" My mother cut him off again as she snapped, "No, I am not the most valuable player here. I am not the last in Yamoto's line of rulers. The real hope for Yamoto lies with Kagome."

I gasped and felt my face go red as all eyes averted to my gaze. I suddenly couldn't meet their stares and had to redirect my gaze to the floor. I couldn't help but feel extremely insignificant, even if I was the only hope.

The Duke of Kensingworth asked my mother then, "What do you suggest your majesty?" "Well, we need to get her out of here as you planned, of course, couldn't your minds conjure up any escape plans?"

All of the sudden they started talking all at once again, sending my head spinning at the loud sounds enveloping the room. Eventually the room was called to order again, after they had all somehow managed to come to a consensus.

The Duke of Alegria spoke again, saying, "Your highness, we find it a fruitless attempt to evacuate Princess Kagome by knight escort, seeming that the Atsugians would notice her immediately. However, we do believe that the Warriors of Twilight will lend us a hand in this instance."

"The Warriors of Twilight? But I thought they were a myth." I questioned my mother. "No darling, they are very real."

I wondered how the Warriors could exist when I had only heard of them through bedtime stories. Never in my wildest dreams could I ever believe that they could possibly be real.

The stories were from the dark times, when we were still fighting for freedom from Atsugi, to become our own country, which is why there always existed a high tension between our two countries, as we had ended up winning that war.

Right now, the war was not going in our favor. I was also told in stories that the warriors were probably our strongest offense, and that they won the war for us, using their powers to penetrate the Atsugian lines.

I was brought back by the stating of my name to my mother, "Fine, it is settled then that Princess Kagome will be escorted from the castle in no more than thirty minutes." "We shall send message to the warriors immediately."

I had missed most of the conversation as my mother fluidly rose while stating, "it is settled." And then she hastily swept out of the room as I followed her quietly.

I knew this was not a good sign, as my mother quickly asked a pageboy to send for Sango to meet her in my room, which is where, I realized, we were headed. As we went inside, my mother sat on my bed and motioned for me to sit down next to her.

Tears were now streaming down her face as she told me, "Now is our darkest time, Kagome, you must be strong for me and for the country. We must not lose sight of the light even if we are to now be shrouded in darkness."

I found myself crying as well as my mother embraced me, possibly the last embrace I would receive from her for a long time. But, how could I know what is to happen to me? I never even knew this strange clan of Warriors existed, and now I was to be taken by them and cared for by them.

"Be strong," my mother added softly as she pulled away. Shortly after, Sango entered the room, ready to abide to my wishes. After telling her of what was to happen, I said goodbye to her, since she would not be coming with me, my only true friend. We then found things for me to take with me. Sango fetched me a dark green cloak, with a hood in order to conceal myself. My mother gave me the pendant of Yamoto, which I gently pinned to the cloak, to keep with me always.

After dressing in fresh clothes, perhaps the only dress I would wear for a while, my mother, Sango, and I slowly descended the staircase to the main ballroom since it was nearing 3 AM, in which my rescuers were to come retrieve me.

Unfortunately, they had not arrived, and I suddenly heard the blasting of cannons coming from the west wing of the castle. "Oh my God, they've come already," my mother whispered to herself, hoping I was not to hear. However, the loud sounds were not to go unnoticed, and my mother finally realized that I knew what was going on. She finally told me harshly, "Quick, I know a secret passage out, there's no time to waste, we must hurry!"

The screams of the maids and house servants echoed down the hallways as my mother was leading me into corridors I had never ventured down before. We had come to the east wing, near one of the servant's quarters. My mother was searching the wall, gently poking at the different parts, until a piece finally gave way and led into a dark, musty hallway, which was barely wide enough for one person.

And so, it came time to bid farewell to Sango. One last embrace, and I left her, crouching after my mother to fit inside the small tunnel. I found it difficult to breathe as we slowly made our way through the corridor. But we finally reached the end, as I saw the last inklings of lights dwindling at the end of the passage.

When we reached outside, I found we had ended up somewhat into the woods behind the gardens of the castle. I could see the knights of Atsugi as they kept pummeling the castle with cannons. Fury raged within me, as I wanted to rush at them, to stop them from endangering my people.

But my mother pulled me around to face her, sadness gripping inside her eyes. I could tell she was fighting tears as she told me, "I don't know where the warriors are. But they must be close. But there is no time to waste; you cannot wait for them. You must leave here; head straight into the forest until you come to a river. Head east down the river until you come to a bridge. From there you will not be far from discovering their camp. If you don't find them, they'll certainly find you."

"But what about you and Souta? What will I do without you?" I felt the tears threatening to fall.

"Dearest, he will be safe with me and Sango. Don't worry, we shall meet again, I promise."

She then gripped me to her so tightly I thought I would be crushed, but I was soon released as she commanded after me, "Run!"

I thought no more as I plunged deep into the forest, not looking back, afraid that I would never be able to leave my mother if I saw the wounded expression on her face of having to let me go.

Tears flowed down my face like the river I soon reached. I then followed my mother's instructions precisely, heading due east down to the bridge. The bridge that would connect me to a world I knew nothing of.

I found that when I reached the bridge that it was very old, creaking as I took wary steps in order to cross it. I could not see very well through the dark and had to rely on moonlight to guide me.

I took precarious steps in order to feel around where I was going, so scared that my life would end right then if I ran into the wrong things. But suddenly, I heard a twig snap. I gasped, turning around sharply, my breathing becoming even more erratic as I wished I knew who or what was out there.

I heard their voices whispering, questioning what I was. I remembered my mother's words, _'If you don't find them, they'll certainly find you'_.

I tried to keep my voice steady as I breathed, "Hello?" Then there was complete silence, but I knew I was not alone. And then, something crept upon my shoulder, a hand? But I was so scared stiff that I almost felt myself falling as I fainted from my fear, but not before I heard a soft low voice telling me, "You will now be safe with us, Princess Kagome." And then all was dark.

Whew!!! Much longer than last time…And I know! Tiny cliffy! But I'll be updating as soon as this weekend! So hold on tight!

Until next time,

3 AkaiiNeko


	3. The Warriors of Twilight

Disclaimer: Inuyasha I no own. You no sue.

A/N: As promised, another chapter for the weekend…I'd like to take the time to thank my reviewer, WanderingAnariel, you wrote me such a lovely review!!! You are so sweet and thank you for taking the time to review, it means so much to me and gives me the motivation to keep updating! I hope you enjoy this next installment!

Warning: bits of cursing, it is Inuyasha after all, and more cursing to come…not sure what ages are really reading this story, but if you have that much of a problem with it, then contact me, but for the time being all original cursing will stay as is.

**Kagome's thoughts are written in italics**

I awoke to find myself lying down inside a tiny tent. Unfortunately, I also found that I had been resting my head upon a large rock, the reason for my oncoming headache.

I sat up quickly, suddenly remembering that I had been 'captured' and had fainted…Where was I? And more importantly, who was I with? I gripped a small blanket that had been covering me tightly to my chest, willing away the tears that were threatening to spill down my face.

I was incredibly scared and wondering what to do with myself when I heard some pieces of conversation outside the tent, speaking of, what I believed to be, serious business, judging by their tones.

"We must move north, it is not safe"

"…Taken prisoner by the Atsugians…"

"Split into smaller groups for…"

"We must wake her soon…."

My heartbeat slowed for a few moments as I processed this information. _Surely dangerous captors would not speak of me without threatening words_.

I looked down at the blankets that were now fisted in my hands, _and they certainly wouldn't be taking care of me like this._

It was dark inside the tent, but I realized that my cloak had neatly been removed, folded, and placed in the corner, and breakfast was sitting just inside the entranceway.

Since I was left a rather ravenous person from so much stress, I decided to take a chance started to devour the food I was given.

Wanting to make a good impression, I tried to make myself look at least half decent, my ebony locks would certainly not cooperate, but I finished my breakfast and peeked outside to greet them anyway.

The two men that I first found were nothing of what I would expect. Since they weren't looking, I looked at the face of the first man and I saw that his face was impeccably smooth, as a baby's is when it is first born. His eyes were brown, and his short black hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had two small golden earrings in his one ear, he wore a long purple cloak, and he was carrying a staff in one hand.

I then went to look at the other man, but I could not see him very well, for his hood was pulled upon his head, but he seemed a bit younger than the first man, perhaps my age.

I tried to take in his whole character, but I couldn't look from his eyes. His eyes were a piercing amber, unlike anything I've ever seen. His robes were that of a dark crimson. An ancient sword hung from his waistband.

I blushed, catching myself staring at him as the first man in the purple robes. He finally realized my presence and gave me a small smile and joked, "My, finally awake?"

"Yes-, sir, but may I ask, who are you?"

He gave a small chuckle at that, but answered quickly, "Yes, you gave us quite a scare last night when you fainted before we could tell you who we were."

"We are part of the Warriors of Twilight." I gave out a huge sigh of relief. "My name is Miroku, and I will be escorting you with Inuyasha."

He gestured his hand to the young man standing next to him, who acknowledged me with a slight nod. Not much of a talker, I could tell already.

"We hope that you had a restful night, for we'll need to get moving very soon if we are to be traveling for the rest of the day. It seems that the Atsugians," Miroku paused to edit whatever he was about to tell me, but continued with a small smile, "will be looking for you soon. We believe it'd be in your best interest if we moved farther north."

It made no point to me whatever path we took, but I wanted to know what he was not telling me. But now was not the time, for I had other questions.

"Miroku?" I seemed to have pulled him away from some other place, "Yes, your highness?"

"Whatever happened to the other warriors coming to fetch me?" He paused again, straining for words, as he seemed that it hurt him to explain.

"We believe they were taken by them. But all that matters now is your safety princess." Inuyasha was silent this whole time, but sadness sparked his eyes when Miroku mentioned the lost members of their group.

To break the now heavy atmosphere, Miroku continued, "We'll be headed out today to start our three day journey to the town of Zama, please make sure you have all of your belongings."

I bowed my head, "Thank you for all you've done to help me."

"No problem at all, princess." Miroku said with a wave of his hand.

I nodded my head and turned to go back inside the tent when I felt something rub my backside. A HAND!!!

"Eeeeep!" I must have jumped five feet in the air and spun around so quickly it made my head spin. But I had no time to scold him, for the keeper of that lecherous hand had already been punished with a large whack to his head and was currently unconscious and being dragged away by one peeved Inuyasha, who was now displaying his colorful vocabulary none too discreetly.

Taking a moment to calm down, I resolved in my head that I would let that one slip, but next time there would be hell to pay. Therefore, I chose to forget that little 'incident' and took the time to notice the campsite.

There were at least ten other tents identical to mine, all set up in one circle around a large fire pit. I decided that there probably were not many warriors, since I was the only one to be able to fit in my tent, and there were only ten other tents.

There was not a woman in sight, and everything around me was particularly quiet, besides the fact that the other men were packing away their belongings, so I guessed it was probably time to leave.

I was not too fond of the idea of meeting up with Miroku again, lest his hand gain any more ideas, but I figured I had no choice, since I saw Miroku had again gained consciousness and was headed my way with Inuyasha close behind in order to escort me to my horse.

The men had seemed to divide into smaller groups, each consisting of two to three people. Miroku led me to one of the white horses standing by-without going near my backside, or else he would get a warning growl from Inuyasha, WAIT- a growl?

_That's strange…but anyways…_ Miroku gently helped me into the saddle, as he instructed the men with their duties:

"We are to stay close together. If anything wrong should happen, do all you can to reach our destination, Zama, where we will meet to make amends. Be not seen, stay in the closure of twilight (hence their name), and remember your duty to Princess Kagome."

All eyes went to me suddenly, and all I could do was smile weakly and nod, as to give them some reassurance in their actions.

They all bowed back and left, all in separate directions, as to confuse the Atsugians of my whereabouts. Instead of having a horse himself, Miroku walked beside me, calmly leading the horse down the path.

I had thought it would only be us until Inuyasha appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

Without looking at him, Miroku told him, "Well, Inuyasha, now that you're here, I'd like to tell you that I plan to have this journey stay very short. We should reach Zama in no more than 4 days. I believe she will be very safe there under our guardianship, and also of the holy men and women that live there. No demons shall reach her there."

Demons? The same creatures that my father was killed by?

Inuyasha nodded his head, "Wise decision, Miroku."

I still couldn't see Inuyasha's face, but I was beginning to wonder if he didn't wear his hood down because he was deformed or something.

Why it was so intriguing that he didn't remove his hood was beyond me, but I also thought it very rude that he would not show himself to someone in higher rank than himself. So I guess I wanted it removed for the fact that I felt he was disrespecting my title.

My thoughts took another track when I contemplated how low and smooth his voice sounded, nothing like I would have expected coming from someone his age.

But then I realized, I didn't know his age. He then was looking at me, and I realized that he had been for sometime. An awkward silence overcame us, surprisingly enough, even with Miroku there.

"Feh, what are you staring at, wench?" He asked rudely.

_Where did THAT come from? He was quiet only two seconds ago._

I let out a huff, "Excuse me! I am the princ-" I cut myself off, still wanting to scold Inuyasha for the nickname he had given me, but I didn't want to sound like a nasty brat either.

Miroku had given Inuyasha a nudge to do something, and Inuyasha, realizing that Miroku wanted him to act nice, only said, "Here's your cloak, PRINCESS."

He all but threw it at me, and I took it with a slight frown. I thought sarcastically, _Well…isn't he just one bright ray of sunshine_…How could he have come to hate me so immediately?

However, I still took the green cloak politely, and put it on, for it had become colder.

I forgot the tension, and took my time to look around. The trail had become quite pleasant at this point; the autumn leaves falling on the path, the large oaks standing in a line on either side of us.

We had been traveling all day, and I suddenly realized that I had become weary with the day's travels.

"Princess, we can stop here, if you wish." Miroku had said abruptly, most likely sensing my exhaustion. "Yes, please." I murmured. "Feh, weak wench." I heard Inuyasha mumble. Another jab to his ribs was well placed by Miroku.

After finding a clearing, Inuyasha gently lifted me down off the saddle, and I found that I never realized how tall Inuyasha was, probably even taller than Miroku himself. I was only 5 foot 4 myself, so I caught myself having to look up in order to speak with him.

"Why, thank you, Inuyasha." I curtsied and tried to act politely as possible, hoping in some way that it would change his hostility towards me.

"Feh." He said, turning away.

_Well, there goes that theory…_"Why Inuyasha, is that the only word in your vocabulary?" I asked smartly, needing some way to retaliate. If he could be rude, so could I.

"Shut it wench and then maybe I won't have to say things that I will regret having said later."

I gasped as he spun on his heel to walk away.

Ughh!! This man was frustrating me to no end! Why couldn't we get along like normal people! He left me to tend to other duties, leaving me fuming.

I hadn't known the man for more than a few hours, and we hadn't spoken more than two sentences to each other yet!

And, why would he not take down the hood? I brushed off his rude statement and stomped over to where he was kneeling gathering wood, and tried to yank his hood off, sickly wishing that whatever was under there could be used to degrade him as he had degraded me.

What surprised me were his lightning quick reflexes. Without me realizing it, he had turned around and had me pinned against a tree with my wrists pinned above my head.

His breath fanned over my face as he threatened, "Wench, even TRY doing that again and you'll be sorry we ever met."

I should have been threatening him back, but my thoughts were distracting me, and before I knew it, he had let go of me and was headed towards the center of the clearing with his firewood to start a fire.

Miroku had watched this scene from not too far away and let out a low whistle, "Heal boy," when Inuyasha walked towards him.

His answer was a whack to the head.

My thoughts, however, were spinning. How could he have possibly heard me coming from so far away? And how in Kami's name was he so fast?

I ignored the tears that were threatening to surface, having been completely dejected by a man in less than 24 hours. Miroku and Inuyasha quickly set to work to put up the tent as I went to wash my face quickly in the river beside us.

I stared at my reflection, gasping over how flushed I had become over the day. Red blotches had appeared at my cheekbones, seeming as I was very chilled by the temperature, and goose bumps were lining my arms, from the cold wind that grew even stronger as the day progressed.

The sun was beginning to set as I headed back to our camp. Miroku and Inuyasha had cleverly built a little fire outside the tent; and were busy preparing a meal for us.

I went to sit on a rock as I gazed at what they were doing. They seemed to be gutting a fish and placing it on a stick in order to cook it. This practically made my stomach churn as I felt I was to be very sick soon.

"I think I will go in my tent now. I need lots of rest after today." I made an excuse just to get away from the horrid smell suddenly enveloping the air. I lay down smoothly upon the solid ground, suddenly being able to think much more clearly than I had been in the past few hours.

First of all, I missed my mother, brother, and Sango, second, I was scared to see where these two strangers would lead me, especially since one seemed to want nothing other than to see me dead, and third: I was just so tired of the war.

I would gladly go back now and give my life if it meant peace for everyone else. I felt as if nothing was important enough to have to live everyday if it meant saving my family. What was the answer to my problems?

I could end this now…run away and just hand myself over. But what would my two protectors think of me then? I figured that I had to try to escape and make amends.

I was even more persistent in leaving when I heard their conversation when they thought I was asleep.

"The poor girl has no idea what's going on right now in Yamoto." I gasped and listened more intently to the conversation.

"I'm afraid that she might never be able to return home again after this." I heard Miroku say. Then Inuyasha started, "Especially since we now know that the wench's mother is being held captive until her return."

Both men were quiet then as I figured they were finally planning to go to bed. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes as I thought of my mother.

She was taken because of me? I would not let it be so. As soon as they were asleep, I silently broke from my tent and down the path to follow the river back home.

I didn't know where my final destination would be, but I would make it back to save my mother no matter what: even if it meant losing my life over it. I couldn't have her suffer because of me.

The tears had eventually won the fight and poured noiselessly from my eyes as I headed down the path faster and faster. All that was racing through my head was that I must get home to free my mother from those wicked people.

If the warriors were to protect me, why did they not tell me this information? Why couldn't I know that my mother was in horrible danger? Fury and rage encircled my mind as I walked down that path. My thoughts were so loud in my mind that I didn't even hear the footsteps constantly growing louder as they approached me.

Two hands gripped my back, and I was suddenly locked in a strong embrace by someone's arms, and his hand was clamped over my mouth as I screamed.

"Quiet wench! What in the hell are you trying to pull?" The voice sounded enraged, but I found that I recognized it.

I turned slowly as he let me go, to find that it was Inuyasha that had been following me. I felt bad, but I suddenly unleashed all my anger upon him as I shouted in harsh whispers, "I'm going to save my mother! It is my fault she is there in the first place! Why can't you understand that you bastard?!" _Whoops…getting a little ahead of myself…but he deserves it!_

Inuyasha just looked at me with a stunned expression. I asked, "What?"

"Feh, just didn't know you had it in ya wench." I was confused, "What?"

Right now, Inuyasha just looked annoyed, "The damned cursing is what."

"If you were feeling half of what I'm feeling right now, you'd understand why I'm acting this way."

But this was not the Inuyasha I knew. For once, I noticed he was not wearing his cape and his whole head was showing. He had silver locks that whipped around his face and reached down to the center of his back.

But on top of his head were the most incredible, EARS?!?! And dog ears at that…

I gasped, "You're a- a- DEMON!!!" Inuyasha's lightning hands reached forward and grasped my mouth closed once again. "Can you say it much louder, wench?!?!"

He looked defeated as he added, "Besides, I'm only half." I noted to myself that it looked adorable when his ears folded flat against his head at his confession.

Seeing the confused look on my face he let me go and explained, "I had a demon father that was an inuyoukai, but my mother was fully human." His eyes gazed at the ground and his voice had grown abnormally soft, especially for Inuyasha.

I finally realized that he was incredibly embarrassed that I was seeing him like this, and he was probably cursing himself for forgetting his cloak. "But, where would you live then?" I asked.

Atsugi and Yamato were the only two countries I knew of, and they consisted of only humans or demons, no in-between.

I was surprised he had a mixed heritage. For, demons and humans almost never got along.

He sighed and motioned for us to go back to camp, but explained nonetheless. "I don't know why I gotta explain myself wench, but the truth is, I never fit in anywhere. My mother died when I was really young, because as a half demon, I didn't age very quickly at all. And so, I found a place to belong with the warriors, a group of humans that work in harmony. I was just lucky they accepted me."

"My older brother, Sesshoumaru, helps the Warriors of Twilight from time to time, even though he is a full demon."

"A FULL demon? Why would the Warriors have him as a fellow warrior if he is one of the kind they are fighting?"

"Well, he has saved many of the men's life, for example, and he is also against the politics of King Naraku, which is why he left Atsugi and is currently supporting Yamato. He wanted to do all he could to protect the royal family of Yamoto so that one day King Naraku would be overcome."

His face look pained as he told me this, which caused me to ask, "Then why have I not met him?" He looked at me for a moment, a sense of hate shocking between us in an instant when he said, "He was one of the warriors sent to fetch you."

I suddenly realized why his actions toward me had been so hostile. I heard the deep tension in his voice as he added; "No, Sesshoumaru, the stupid bastard went and got himself captured by those baka demons. Frankly, I'd like nothing better than to fucking kill them all with my bare hands."

I thought I saw those golden eyes flash red as his hands tensed. He wished that his brother had not been sent to fetch me. I was crushed at this point, since I always seemed to be the cause of everyone's problems.

I reached out to touch his arm, and he flinched quite a bit as I whispered, "I'm so sorry. But my mother is there too. Perhaps that gives some solace to what you are feeling now as well."

"Don't worry about it, wench." But I knew better than to think he would forgive me so quickly by his own free will. We walked quietly after that, no more deep secrets to share for the time being. I hardly even knew the boy.

I looked up at his face again as we walked, amazed by his facial features, but especially the appendages that rose from his head. "Inuyasha?" I asked, "Can I touch those?"

He turned his head to me and flicked his ears once or twice, which caused me to giggle. He seemed unable to answer the question, "Um-well-uh-, you mean my ears?"

I nodded my head eagerly, my fingers desperately itching to touch them.

"Uh-I guess-, I mean, NO way wench! Whaddya think I am?"

I was amused that I seemed to be breaking down that macho façade, if only a little bit. He DID almost agree…"You're a dog demon." I answered smartly, "And you have dog ears."

He blushed slightly but stomped off using his favorite phrase, "Feh."

I guess I'll just ask later… 

And then I noticed where we were and I saw the faint glow of the fire as it was finally sputtering out. And then I saw Miroku in a lump beside the fire, but Inuyasha looked less concerned as we continued getting closer, while my worry and fear rose.

Miroku wasn't moving at all, and although I couldn't see his face, I thought for sure that he was dead.

Inuyasha went up and slightly kicked him in the side, receiving a grunt in reply, although Miroku didn't move.

Inuyasha bent down to grab a bottle, which was out of my sight and held it up to read the label. "Sake again, my friend?" He said with a half smirk on his face.

To the unconscious Miroku, he added, "Best wishes to that hell of a hangover you're gonna have in the morning."

Inuyasha threw the empty bottle down and redirected his gaze back to me, which was greatly illuminated by the dwindling campfire.

He then took step over and lifted the flap to my tent and gestured his hand as to direct me inside. I quickly complied, beyond tired at this point, and finally settled in for the night, abandoning all plans of escape.

Sayonara,

3 AkaiiNeko


	4. Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Takahashi does.

A/N: okay, since this fanfic started out so quickly and we didn't get a very deep look into Sango's character, this is a first bit we get to see of a past relationship she had. And don't worry; we'll be meeting her again in the future. And oh yah, in this fic, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are actually somewhat brotherly **gasp**

I had the strangest dream. I saw Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's brother, and his captors.

He was being held down, but Inuyasha, Miroku and I were fighting to save him.

I had my bow and arrow and was shooting magnificently, which was a dream in itself, but what was unsettling was that the others seemed changed.

Miroku had his head bowed with his hood up. His hand was a fist, however his pointer and middle finger fit together, pointing to the sky, and he was chanting in a foreign tongue in a low voice.

Inuyasha was beside him, and his head was bowed as well, but he was growling, and his hands were flexed, showing off the large tendons in his hands and arms.

I caught a flash of his eyes, which had turned to a red and turquoise hue, and large purple stripes had appeared on his face.

My dream quickly turned into a nightmare, as Inuyasha leapt forward, killing everyone, including Miroku and Sesshoumaru and then quickly turned to me.

His eyes held a hellish glint as he started a slow stalk towards me, as a lion would its prey.

He was suddenly airborne, and I was ready to feel the impact when my foot started trembling violently.

I looked down at my foot and couldn't comprehend why it was moving of it's own accord when suddenly I heard, "Princess, Princess! Stupid wench!"

Well, I wonder who that could be… 

I awoke with a start, and sat up quickly, sending my head reeling. My sight finally leveled, and there was Inuyasha, looking nothing short of pissed as he finally stopped shaking my foot.

So much for thinking he had changed after last night.

"Dammit bitch I thought I'd have to shake your foot all damn morning! Bout time you woke up!" He spun away in a huff, leaving the flap to the tent to close quickly.

"Drama queen." I muttered.

"What was that, WENCH?" I heard Inuyasha accuse from outside.

I shook my head dumbfounded, "How in Kami's name could you hear me?" I was sure I had whispered that insult.

The tent flap opened yet again, and the peeved Inuyasha pointed to his ears on top of his head, which now flicked dramatically to emphasize his point. "Dog demon, remember now?"

"Only half" I replied. "Baka." he added for good measure.

Yep, his disdain for me still had not changed, which didn't surprise me in the least. But there had to be more to it than just me being the reason for his brother's capture…or maybe not…_That is actually something to be really mad about. Maybe he's just stressed out._

He let the tent flap close yet again and was back outside. I figured it was no use to just continue fuming, so I went outside to see if there was a meal I could score.

And to my disgust, there was breakfast, only in the form of a mangled rabbit. I turned to Inuyasha and questioned with my eyes, 'Do I have to eat THAT?'

I saw an evil smirk appear on his face as he realized what I was silently asking and only said, "Eat up wench."

I felt my stomach literally flip over, not only at the look of the meat, but also the smell. To change subjects, and also to delay when I would have to eat the rabbit, I asked, "Where's Miroku?" which was a valid question since he was nowhere to be found.

Another smirk appeared on the hanyou's face, as he had switched to whittling a small stick, "Oh, he's emptying the remains of last nights dinner out somewhere in the forest. Sake must have really gotten to him."

"Eww, so he's sick then?" Without looking up, Inuyasha answered, "He'll be fine once he's done, but I figure it'll take him a day to settle out. He did finish one whole bottle by himself." His smirk widened as he added, "That lecher never did learn."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, suddenly intrigued.

Inuyasha paused for a moment, and looked up at me. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, I'm just getting to know his character better."

"Fine, whatever. I'll enjoy telling this story anyways." A thoughtful frown appeared again as he lowered his head to continue whittling and set out to tell the story.

"Miroku always was an 'adventurous lecher'. Can't not grope a girl if she's within reaching distance. He's been like that ever since I've known him, but there was he got really attached to. Some lady named Sango."

I let out a surprised gasp, "Sango Tamaku?"

He looked at me incredulously and said, "Yeah, I think that was her name, but anyways," he continued, "he was 'with' her one night," I blushed at what he implied, "and he had gotten so drunk that he didn't wake up to see her off the next morning."

"Actually," he said with a laugh," I think he was somewhat conscious but bid her farewell by the wrong name."

At that he laughed outright, but continued, "She hasn't even tried to find him ever since, even though she knows he's part of the Warriors of Yamoto. Smart lady if I ever did see one."

I let out a shaky chuckle, still not believing that Miroku had known Sango so intimately, and yet she had never let a word of this affair out!

And I had to be the closest to her than anyone. And here, Inuyasha knows before me!

"Sango was my maid back at the castle."

"Feh, I know that. I also know that you have a brother Souta and that you can't shoot archery if your wimpy life depended on it."

I felt my face grow hot with both embarrassment and anger. "What are you, a stalker?"

"No, but it is part of my duty to know almost everything about you so you are easier to protect. But let me tell you, nothing could have prepared me for babying you."

"Well, SORRY if I'm such a burden you toad faced, pea brained, ba-"

"Now, now ladies, there's no need to get all touchy." Miroku came swaying into the clearing clutching his stomach as if it was bothering him. His eyes also told me that he had been awake in the early hours relieving his stomach pains.

"Feh, nice to have you back lecher." Inuyasha stated as if nothing had happened between us.

I was still giving Inuyasha a cold stare, but he had continued to ignore it and instead had went on in a conversation with Miroku, which I didn't have the slightest interest in hearing.

And so, I tried to go back inside, but I felt a firm hand grasp my wrist and spin me around. An amused smile was on Inuyasha's face as he asked, "Why, you're not going to leave your breakfast, are you?"

I felt a look of disgust pass over my face and I wanted nothing more than to slap that grin off his face, which had grown wider at my expression.

But, not wanting to back down from a challenge, I reached for the mangled piece of meat without breaking eye contact and took a small bite, which I immediately regretted, for the gamey taste was almost too much for me to bear. Nonetheless, I chewed it silently, as a smug look passed over Inuyasha's features, and I replied sarcastically, "Oh, thank you ever so much."

I turned then and went inside to grab my cloak, for Inuyasha and Miroku mentioned that we should be getting on the road very soon, for there were still two days until we were to arrive at Zama.

Upon returning outside, I found that Inuyasha had donned his red cape again, as Miroku had donned his purple robes. They also had the horse ready to go and Inuyasha quickly wrapped up my tent and set it on the horse with me as we set off for the day.

As we walked along the dreary path, I made light conversation with Miroku, since I was almost fed up with talking to Inuyasha. Hehe, rephrase that: DEFINETELY fed up with talking to Inuyasha.

And so, Miroku told me of his childhood and that he had grown up in Zama. "We weren't an especially rich family, since my parents had to raise eight children, including myself, but we got by."

Miroku was a nice person to talk to, since he was very animated when telling of his hometown. "You see, the village is filled with mikos and monks, so there are many very interesting rituals that are performed for holy days. Many of the holy men are also skilled in tactics for slaying demons, which is why we are asking them to aid us in the fight against Naraku."

"But enough about me, what of your life?" Miroku asked.

I gave out a large defeated sigh. "That bad, huh?" He asked.

"Sort of." I ran a hand through my hair. "The worst was that I couldn't do anything by myself. I was scheduled for every activity in the day, and most likely, if there was no war and I was there right now, I'd probably be having my match for a groom picked out for me right now."

"Ouch." Miroku offered.

"Yeah, so you could say that this is somewhat of an enjoyable experience since I get to get away from that lifestyle. A little break you could say."

"Well, I'm sorry, Princess Kagome-"

"Please, just Kagome."

"Okay, well, Kagome, I'm glad you feel happy. I only wish you had better company." Miroku pointed up the path to where Inuyasha was scouting for danger.

I gave a huff. "Him?" I tried to sound nonchalant, but inside I felt as if my sides would rip. How I wanted to just be accepted, no matter how much of a baka Inuyasha was.

But I said, "You are very good company, and because of that I can overlook his rudeness."

"Please do not be caught off guard by his actions Kagome." Miroku sighed, "He's very protective of himself because he's afraid that every new person he meets will reject him."

He whispered in hopes that Inuyasha couldn't hear him, "You see, when he was little, he lived with his mother, but the rest of the village rejected him because of his heritage. He met the warriors at a young age, and learned to live with us, since his mother died and all, but his pride has been hurt ever since."

I processed this information. "So he's not acting this way just because his brother has been captured?"

"No. He's merely deciding if he should expose his true self to you. You see, once he's opened himself up fully to a person, it means he fully trusts them. But that's hard to achieve with one who is so afraid to show who he really is."

My heart constricted painfully at his next words, "In Inuyasha's heart, he still feels like a monster, since that is what he has been called his whole life."

This would certainly affect how I saw Inuyasha from now on.

Wanting to change the subject desperately, I noted that Miroku had a bow and quiver of arrows attached to the horse's cargo.

And so, I had to ask, "Miroku, you have an interest for archery?" He smiled but shook his head, "No, that was always Inuyasha's craft, although he prefers using his sword, the Tetsusaiga. He only uses a bow and arrow when he feels in the mood. It's funny, because both his parents gave him ways to protect himself. The sword is his father's, and his mother was the one to teach him archery. Both come in handy from time to time."

"Does he ever use the bow for fighting?"

"No, he prefers the sword because of how fast he can eliminate an opponent. The bow and arrow he uses for catching game, like that rabbit you had this morning." I grimaced at the remembrance. Miroku chuckled.

"Really, Princess Kagome, it will get better tasting as time passes and you grow so hungry you won't care what you ingest."

Feeling like I wanted to do the teasing for once, I inquired, "So, I hear you made an acquaintance with a certain Lady Sango?" He let out a sigh that sounded content yet slightly depressed at the same time.

"Ah yes, the LOVELY Lady Sango. That was not more than a few weeks ago, I'm afraid. She has left such a mark upon my heart."

Only a few WEEKS! Sango had failed to mention she had found a lover in such a lecherous of a man!

She hadn't even sounded vaguely upset during the last few weeks! I felt betrayed and somewhat left out that my best friend couldn't tell me these things.

But while I was in my reverie, Miroku had continued talking, "…and that's when I asked her to bear my…"

"Miroku, why didn't you try to find her if you love her so much?" I cut him off.

"Kagome, of course I pursued her, but she would have nothing of me. I have tried to move on and forget, yet her face haunts me if I even think about going near another woman."

"Then WHAT on earth possessed you to grope me?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Please forgive me, Kagome, but your beauty overcame my sense-"

"Save it." Inuyasha had appeared all of the sudden and was now walking on the other side of the horse. "Once a lech, always a lech."

I would think Miroku would have formed a rebuttal, but when I turned to him to see, he had disappeared into the woods, holding his stomach yet again. A hurling sound could be heard in the distance.

I sighed at the same time Inuyasha was chuckling under his breath, "Serves him right."

I ignored that statement and dismounted, tying the horse to a tree so that I could sit down on a near by rock.

I couldn't help but want to know more about Inuyasha, despite his attempts in pushing me away from him. There had to be someway to get him to trust me.

"How old are you?" He didn't miss a beat while he answered, "Just celebrated nineteen years. Well, human years that is. To a human, I appear 19, but as a demon, I'm about 106."

I let out a low whistle. "Quite a long time to be around, is it not?" He didn't answer, so I continued, "and no one to share it with?"

I was surprised at my forwardness, but living much longer than other humans meant he had no constant in his life besides his brother, and at the moment, his brother was MIA (missing in action).

"Feh, I've got my pack and my brother which suffices enough." But I could see a small pink tinge add to his cheeks.

Wanting to avoid the next uncomfortable silence, I asked, "What was you brother like?"

He paused for a moment before he stated, "Well, he was certainly a lot braver than I was. He was probably also one of the most trusted of the warriors, probably why he was sent to retrieve you. Sesshoumaru looks a lot like me, except a lot girlier. The guys have a joke of calling him Fluffy because of his womanly appearance. Although, they would never dare say that to his face." He let out a small laugh.

He continued stating, "He would have wanted me to go on like this, when he left, he was always badgering me to stick up for myself and to find my own path."

This was the first time Inuyasha had spoken so genially about someone, and I for one was not disappointed upon seeing this side of him. In fact, I wish he would show it off more. But it was gone in an instant, just as it had come.

"But these damn warriors didn't accept us totally at first, and we're still trying to find a place to fit in."

"Me too." I agreed.

He stared at me with an expression that I knew said, 'Feh", trying to decipher how I could possibly mean what I said when I was nowhere near as lonely as him, or so he thought.

I tried to clarify, telling him, "All I've been told to do my whole life is act proper, only speak when spoken to, and how I can't eat or I'll end up like some poor, fat pig. And you think you lived a lonely life. I can't even choose who I wish to marry."

"Wow, so sorry for your misfortunes." I felt hot anger grow in my stomach and yelled, "Fine, BAKA," I lowered my voice a little to control myself, "what do you have against your life? Hmmm?" Meanwhile I was chanting a mantra, _Don't kill him don't kill him don't kill him don't kill him._

He crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.

He was silent for a long while before he sighed like he had something somewhere better to do and answered. "There are much bigger things in this world to face than corsets and ugly aristocrats."

I was appalled at his gall to insult me in such a way, so I felt the rage consume me, forgetting my mantra as I shouted, "You try living a life that does not even belong to you!"

I could see he was surprised by my sudden outburst, because he just stood there gaping as I sprung off my rock and strode off farther ahead.

However, it didn't take him long to catch up to me, his strides almost being twice as large as my own.

"Yo, wench,"

"WHAT!?" I shouted back.

I was starting to wish Miroku were here to somehow knock some sense in his head.

I tried to walk even faster, I slipped on a rock, twisting my ankle, causing my head to come crashing down into the dirt.

Fortunately, I narrowly missed smashing my head into another rock, but I found that I couldn't exactly stand with my ankle.

I was crying at this point, wailing practically, "Why, why do I have to go through this." I wasn't expecting an answer, although I was praying for one.

Inuyasha was just standing there above me, looking confused as if he wasn't sure exactly how he should comfort me.

I looked up to see him gazing at me, almost asking me how he could help. I just sat up as best I could and motioned for him to help me up.

I tried to put weight on the ankle, but it had already swelled from my fall, so all I could do was a tiny limp, not allowing us to move very far.

"Let's go, I can carry you back to the horse, so you won't put any weight on it."

His tone had become gentler, and I gasped when he suddenly grasped me under the legs to carry me bridal style over to the horse.

I blushed at the close contact, but let him lift me up again onto the horse as Miroku appeared again from the grove of trees.

He seemed to have known everything that had happened, and in his cheerful state, despite his sickness, he asked, "Everything resolved, ladies?"

He certainly liked using that phrase when he caught Inuyasha and I bickering. I guess we could be compared to two old women.

And as always for an answer, he received a firm bonk to the head by Inuyasha, who just said, "Quit it."

As the night became darker, I felt that I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and fell asleep as the horse and my two protectors trumped on.

A/N: ok, since this chapter is finished, I figured I could just give it to you guys right away. I've been just dishing this stuff out pretty fast, so new chapters should be uploaded as soon the middle of this week.

Hope you're enjoying,

3 AkaiiNeko


	5. Archery and a New Acquaintance

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.

A/N: be prepared: small inu/kag fluff and a longer chapter!!!

Thank you to my lovely reviewer, Esperanza!!! Your review was so flattering it just motivated me so much to get this chapter out as soon as possible. Thank you so much!

Again, I awoke in an unfamiliar place, which was very unsettling to say the least.

It was a very chilly place I was in, and it was very dark. I tried to guess where I was, but found I could not conjure up any explanation.

Then I heard a rustle coming from across from me and heard his voice, "Princess Kagome, you can rest, you are safe here." Miroku said.

_But where am I? _I thought. But he must have guessed my thoughts when he continued, "Well, we're in a cave right now. Inuyasha and I just found the closest place to stay. Since you fell asleep, you kept slipping off the horse and we had to keep catching you." He laughed quietly.

I felt slightly embarrassed about that, so avoided the comment altogether, "Do you have any idea what time of night it is?" I asked.

"I'd say somewhere around midnight." He answered. Then I was curious, "How come you are not asleep?"

"Inuyasha and I have certain times which we stay awake in order to keep guard, although neither of us sleep very deeply." He motioned to where Inuyasha was now muttering in his sleep. I chuckled as I said, "I see."

I felt bad and wanted Miroku to get some rest. "Well now that I'm awake, I guess you can sleep, I'll keep a good watch."

But he argued almost instantly, "And let you run away like before? Don't think Inuyasha let that little tirade slip past me. I know all about your little escape plan."

He said, teasing. "And if I ever let YOU stand guard, a WOMAN, Inuyasha would probably have my head. And that will be the end of me of poor little me."

I laughed since I couldn't totally argue with him over it. I then asked, "Where are you planning to take me again?"

"We're going back to my home town of Zama. The rest of the warriors should be there to meet us as well."

"How long will it take us to get there?" He sighed and I thought I heard him mutter, "Always so curious."

But I couldn't be sure, since he answered, "One to two more days tops, but we'll have to do a lot of walking during that time. All that matters is that we reach our destination." He concluded.

I had nothing more to say, seeming as he was fully confident of where we were going, so I drifted back to sleep finally as I rested my head back on the ground.

I awoke to a sharp snapping sound; scaring me enough that I sat up abruptly to only find Inuyasha there, breaking some sticks.

The sky was starting to lighten up outside, but it seemed that Inuyasha and Miroku had switched positions, now that Miroku was asleep and Inuyasha on alert.

He stared at me while he waited for me to catch my breath in order for me to ask, "What are you doing?"

"Making more arrows, since I've been running low." He answered innocently enough.

"What have you been needing them for?"

"Well, seeing as you must be fed, I've been hunting more often to see that you eat. There are too many skinny wenches around here nowadays." That explained the dead cooked duck lying in front of me.

"Very kind, thanks." I said, with the utmost sarcasm. This duck looked like it had been killed at least three times; it was so mangled.

"Is there anyway you could catch things without making them seem as if they've already been digested?" He didn't say anything, which made me feel slightly guilty for my words: he was feeding me after all.

And so, I took a bite, and found that it was no king's meal, but it would do nonetheless. It was certainly much better than the rabbit I had eaten before.

He stared at me as I forced the pieces down my throat. I could tell he was stifling a laugh as I practically gagged. He was positively evil to enjoy watching me suffer.

He sat there as I finished breakfast, quietly carving the sticks into arrows for later use. I then inquired, "You're good at using the bow and arrow?"

He looked at me questioning my intentions and answered cautiously, "Yes."

I was silent for a moment, but couldn't hold my enthusiasm any longer as I asked, "Could you teach me, please?"

My eyes were so hopeful, so needy, which is why I believed he laughed, but he stated indignantly, "_You_, learn how to yield a bow and arrow? I'd be hanged for even letting you possess such a weapon. You'd probably get yourself killed anyway."

I frowned at the fact that he wouldn't even consider giving me a chance to learn. So, I couldn't help but start moping a bit when he went back to his work and ignored me after declining to teach me.

He was quiet as he continued his arrow making, but after some time he stated, "Well, I guess it wouldn't be so bad, but today's not that good for teaching. I'm going out right now to do some hunting myself, and I can't be slowed down trying to teach you."

If he saw the hurt in my eyes at his wording, he didn't acknowledge it, because he just added, "Stay here while I am gone."

He stood up and gave me a hard glance before turning away to exit the cave. Even though his words and tone were kinder, he was treating me like such a child! Acting as if I would run away again as soon as he turned his back…well then again, that could be possible…

After some deliberation, I figured there was no way I was going to sit back and just let him treat me like this, one of my subjects, no less.

I sat on the cold floor fuming, and evidently our talk had woken Miroku up.

He had heard most of the conversation obviously, for he suggested, "Don't take 'no' for an answer. Make him teach you how to do it, or you'll never get to."

"But don't you think he'll be angry at me?" I figured I was treading on pretty thin ice with Inuyasha already, and being an annoying brat certainly wouldn't motivate him to open up and trust me.

"He's a stubborn jackass." _Well Miroku certainly puts things right out the table, now doesn't he?_ "People don't get their way with him unless they badger it out of him." Miroku said the next part with a lecherous smile, "although with the ladies persuading him may be a bit easier."

"Miroku!" I scolded. For a man that came from a holy village such as Zama, he certainly did not act as his humble elders would want him to.

He put up his hands innocently, "Whatever way you put it, I'm just making the point that if you want to see something done, do it yourself."

Well, since I had Miroku's permission, I figured it wasn't totally going against Inuyasha's wishes if Miroku allowed me to go outside looking for him. Miroku had just as much power over my actions as Inuyasha. I waited for a few more minutes and then headed out in the direction I thought he left.

For a while I just walked slowly along the path that never seemed to wander far from the river that connected us to every place we were going.

I walked along until I came upon a silver haired man bathing in the river. I was going to walk past, blushing, but I did a double take when I remembered something. There were no other silver haired men around here besides- Inuyasha! The feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach was not unpleasant as I marveled at his beauty. _Wait, BEAUTY!! I'm ATTRACTED to HIM?_ And yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away.

He had no shirt, on but he still had his trousers on, thank goodness. I suddenly wished I had a warning before I had come before this sight.

Now I certainly wouldn't be able to put my thoughts straight and form a coherent conversation!

His back was so muscular as he reached his arms over his head to scratch at his now wet hair.

I felt myself blush furiously for having admired him so. I saw his ears twitch and swivel back to where I was causing me to take a step back and break a twig. I gasped, louder than I should have, and stared longer than I should have because he swiveled around fully and found me there hiding amongst the trees with his eyes almost instantly.

I detected a flicker of annoyance erupt almost instantly from him. I turned around and tried to run away, as fast as my sprained ankle could carry me.

But it was all to no avail because I already knew he was much faster than I was, since he had demon blood running through his veins. I could also tell from his previous look that I was in SO much trouble.

I finally was brought to an abrupt halt by his sharp grasping of my shoulders and spinning me around.

I knew it was him, but I couldn't bring my eyes to his face, or any other part of him. I chose the small patch of trees just over his left shoulder to stare at. He backed me up against a tree behind me, pinning me there with one hand, using the other to pull my face to look at him.

I could tell he was trying to be as gentle as possible not to hurt me further. But his tone was deadly as he growled, "Why would you ever leave the cave, especially when I instructed you not to do so? Do you realize how much danger you are putting yourself into by just traveling by the mere light of day? It is my duty to protect you while Miroku is asleep, and you are making it so much harder than it has to be."

I was staring at his eyes this whole time, since his grasp wasn't allowing me to look anywhere else. But I was very aware that he was still half-dressed, and I was having a hard time concentrating due to that awkwardness.

I couldn't get over how beautiful he was, even if he was so incredibly mad at me.

His silver hair was matted across his forehead, and small droplets of water ran over his chest as he was breathing very heavily due to his sudden anger at me.

I even thought for a moment that I saw his eyes flash between golden and red hues.

He released my face and put his other hand on my shoulder, pinning me flat and asked again, but softer, "Why is it so hard for you just to listen?"

All I could say was, "Miroku was awake and gave me permission to leave the cave." I suddenly regretted saying that. Could I have sounded anymore like a small kid?

"Miroku…" He said quietly, and then louder, "Miroku gave you permission to come looking for me…" He said it as if he almost didn't believe me.

Well, no time to go back on that statement now. "Yeah, that's right, Miroku told me, so what ya gonna do about it?" I tried sounding tough.

Inuyasha let out a snort. "Well, there's nothing to be done now." He let me out of his grasp, and silently, I was begging he touch me again, but he ran his hands over his face as if he was frustrated.

"Just go back now and tell that damn monk to get everything packed up before I get back." He turned to go return bathing, I realized, so I stopped him by grasping his arm abruptly.

As soon as my skin touched his, I felt a sort of electric shock, that wasn't painful, but I couldn't explain it either. He didn't look as affected as I, so I pulled back quickly and stuttered, "I uh-um, I-"

He smirked. "Now what, wench, cat got your tongue?"

"NO! It's not that. I uh, I wanted you to teach me some archery. I know I asked earlier, but I was wondering if you had changed your mind."

He crossed his arms and turned back to me. That action brought my eyes to his chest, so he had to cough a little and said, "And I thought only girls had to say, 'eyes up here'."

I blushed hotly, realizing I had been caught staring at him, and apologized softly, "Oh-I-uh-sorry." I hung my head, defeated.

"Now," he started "I have to say that my answer still has not changed. But I'm rather interested, why would you want to learn something like that?"

"Because it's something I'm fond of."

"But you'll never use it in your daily life. You are a princess after all." For once he acknowledges my status, but yet in a way that makes me seem out of his league!

"Who knows if I'll be returning 'home' at this point?"

"Look, if I had permission to train you as your instructor had at the castle, MAYBE then I could teach you. But I doubt your mother would be pleased to find that a warrior taught you the 'improper' way to do it."

Now I saw what Miroku meant by fighting for what I wanted. So now was the time to mean business. "Look, this is what I want and I'm sure of it."

My voice grew louder, "And if my mother has a problem then I'll take all of the blame! Please it means so much to me!" I felt as if I almost had tears in my eyes. _Now wait a minute, this could be my shot. A few tears and he'll have to cave in. Well, here goes nothing._ And to think I wanted to avoid being a brat.

Inuyasha put his hands out in front of him in an apologetic manner, "Whoa-wa-wait, there's no reason to cry!" His voice was soft and I laughed inwardly at how awkward it was for him to calm a crying girl.

I let out a small whimper, which made his ears flatten as he fought over what he should do. I started sniffling a bit to add to the effect when he said, "Fine, uh, I guess uh-archery, wouldn't be SO bad for today…"

_Bingo._

He then awkwardly, "Uh-, I'll just retrieve my shirt then, and we'll go back to the cave to get the bow and arrows."

He turned to walk away, but not before regaining his commanding voice, "And wench, pull that crying bit again and find yourself in for a punishment." He walked away too quickly before I could yell back at him.

A PUNISHMENT! And why did he always HAVE to get the last word in! I had thought I had won that round, but evidently not. He wasn't about to let his badass reputation go to ruins. _And how the hell did he know I was faking?_

We returned quickly to the cave to tell Miroku what we were going to do. Behind Inuyasha's back, Miroku winked and gave me a small smile, congratulating me on winning the argument. Or so he thought. Evidently Inuyasha was still planning my punishment.

Inuyasha lightly gripped his bow at his side with his quiver of arrows hanging loosely on his back as we walked to a clearing not 500 ft away from the mouth of the cave.

He started explaining, "Archery is a skill that is only obtained through patience, practice, and precision. You must learn that it is not something that comes right away as a natural skill, you must perfect it over time."

He had taken on a professional persona, which surprised me to say the least. This was certainly another side of Inuyasha that I had not yet seen.

We stopped as he ordered me, "Show me your stance." I stilled and almost instantly took the rigid pose that Ms. Ayumi had showed me; was it only three days ago?

He laughed as he critiqued how I stood. "You look like a neko demon that just got scared half to death."

I don't know why, but I suddenly became so embarrassed to have made myself a fool in front of him, all because of some stupid teacher's rules.

He came to stand behind me, and I found I took shallower breaths as he went and placed his hands: one on my waist, the other on my shoulder as he calmly made me relax.

"Take a deep breath, and let it out." He advised quietly.

I did as he instructed, but it didn't help my quickly beating heart. He slid his hand up my waist to the arm that was gripping the string behind my head and gently pushed it down a bit so my aiming was more precise. "You're going to be aiming at the center of that tree." He pointed at an oak in the distance.

He let go momentarily to grab me an arrow and placed it in the bow. He proceeded to place his hands back where he had them, but this time he was closer to me; I felt the heat radiating from him, sending a cold shiver up my spine. But it was a good shiver; at least I perceived it to be.

He bent down and his lips were so close to my ear it tickled as he whispered, "And release." The arrow went whipping straight through the air, but ending at no certain point since my aim had mysteriously gone awry. _Hmm…wonder how that happened?_

How could I possibly concentrate with him doing that to me? "We'll work on that later." Inuyasha concluded chuckling.

I SWEAR he knew the effect he had on me. "How'd you feel about that?" he asked. "Amazing." I replied in a breathy voice. _GAHH! Did I just say that!!_ I felt like banging the palm of my hand into my forehead millions of times!

He looked back at me with a questioning look, I rearranged what I had said and settled with, "Great, I mean, just great." He still looked confused, but turned anyway to retrieve his bow. "Watch me." He commanded.

I was struck with wonder as I watched him pull into an almost god-like pose; it was the only way to describe how much larger than life he seemed.

He released in an instant, striking a tree at dead center. He looked at me with a wicked smile as he said; "Now that's how it's done."

I couldn't even speak, as I stood there with my mouth gaping wide open.

He laughed as he went to retrieve the arrow (since he could actually find his). As he returned he asked, "Up for trying it again? Or do you give up?" A silent challenge was in his eye. "Sure." I replied, not wanting to back down.

I wanted so much to impress him, but why? He had certainly become a BIT nicer, certainly nicer to talk to. "Let's see that stance again then, shall we?" he suggested. I took stance again, having him yet have to touch me again, since I never could get it right.

This time his hands lingered at my waist as he told me to release, and I ended up hitting exactly where he had. "You're pretty good…for a wench." He exclaimed. "And you're pretty good…for a baka." I countered.

I noticed that the hands on my waist twitched and then released. I let out a nervous chuckle as he turned to gather his things, muttering the whole time of how he did things that I wanted to do yet I still had to go throwing names at him. Now really, could I let him get away with insulting me and not insulting him back? _No way._

Later as we were walking back on the path, I found that Inuyasha and I had become much more comfortable with each other after having a few fights, but better moments as well. Inuyasha was almost becoming, well, a friend, although his stubborn attitude had only improved by a fraction.

"Well, now you have to find your own food since you can shoot now. I'm not getting up at dawn just your scrawny ass some food." He teased.

"You wouldn't make me." I added. "Dare me to, wench." He smiled devilishly, sending my heart to my shoes.

We were still on the search for the lost arrow when he suddenly stiffened and straightened up, sniffing with his nose. He was looking around quite warily as he asked, "Did you hear that?" My smile turned to worry as I replied, "Hear what?" "From the woods." He stated.

He put an index finger up to his full lips, I noticed, as he quietly stalked to a small bush off to the side of the path. I stood still, not wanting to make a noise, since Inuyasha was perfectly quiet in all of his movements.

All of the sudden, with his incredible speed, Inuyasha lashed out with his hand into the bush, and when he brought the hand back, he was gripping a tail of red fur in his fist. On the other end of the tail was a small animal that resembled that of a fox.

"Please-oh-please don't hurt me!" It was a child's voice coming from the small animal, and I realized that the child was sobbing.

"Don't worry, runt, we won't pull anything, but what were you doing in there?" Inuyasha must have realized too that the kitsune was sobbing, for he gentled his grip visibly.

The small kit turned in Inuyasha's arms so that he was holding him and buried his face in his shirt. "I'm hiding from King Na-na-naraku!!!" He let out a loud wail as he continued sobbing.

"KING NARAKU!? Of Atsugi???" I questioned.

The child just nodded his head. "But why are you hiding?" I asked sweetly. I didn't wish to frighten him further.

"He sent two of his henchmen, Hiten and Maten to kill my parents, and since I was the only one left, I thought they were gonna get me too, so I hid!!" I saw a surprised and heartfelt look pass over Inuyasha's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"But you're all by yourself." By voice did not mask my pity for him in any way.

The child's sobs had gotten softer as he murmured, "I'll manage." He looked down as he wringed his hands together nervously.

"Nonsense, you will stay with us." I insisted. I wasn't about to let a small child wander alone. The kit meanwhile had resorted to blowing his nose in Inuyasha's shirt. Inuyasha stiffened in discomfort, while I was fighting desperately not to break out in a fit of laughter.

"But, aren't you afraid of me?" He looked up. His large green eyes seemed to think that I did.

"Why, because you're a demon?"

He nodded his head. I went over to Inuyasha and gathered the young child in my arms. "Of course we aren't scared of you. You can stay with us as long as you want." At first, Inuyasha gave me a look that said this was a bad idea, and as I pet the child's head, Inuyasha whispered, "Kagome, if he stays with us, you keep care of him. He is your responsibility."

At first, I was completely stunned to hear him call me by my first name, and so, it took me a few moments to recall what he had said. But eventually, I had agreed to his terms.

After confirming that he would stay with us, the child seemed jubilant, now that he had found a family and hugged me tightly. "What's your name?" He asked sweetly. "I'm Kagome, Princess of Yamoto." I smiled at him.

He gazed into my eyes with his brilliant emerald orbs and said, "I'm Shippo. Nice to meet you Lady Kagome." I smiled at his politeness and said, "Nice to meet you too. This is Inuyasha." I extended my hand over to where Inuyasha stood.

"Hey runt." He came over and gave Shippo a small pat on the head.

His mood had changed get again, and after the few touching moments he added, "Feh, it's getting late, we gotta get back to Miroku." So much for the nicer attitude, I sighed. Never could get too much of a good thing.

We ended up not leaving our camp for the rest of the day, since I saw to it that Shippo was fed properly using my new hunting skills. Well, mostly Inuyasha's hunting skills. After a few colorful curses on my part, Inuyasha had heard and came out, grumbling about "pathetic wenches" and helped me shoot down a few birds and rabbits.

I saw to it that they were cooked thoroughly and fed Shippo with small bites. He couldn't be any happier, and I was glad that I could lighten his spirits.

Miroku and Inuyasha simply kept up with busy work, complaining that we still had a two day journey ahead of us in order to get to the forests of Zama.

I just ignored them and enjoyed the company with my newly adopted friend.

"How old are you, Shippo?" He chewed thoughtfully before answering.

"Well, to a human like you, I'm almost eight years old!" He held up eight tiny fingers in front of my face.

Although Shippo seemed proud of this fact, I felt my heart breaking. I too had lost a parent when I was seven, but he had lost both at such a young age.

Since I didn't want to startle Shippo with any tears, I asked, "So, Shippo, what is it that you like to do?" A cute thoughtful look spread across his face, and his tongue stuck out as if he was in a deep concentration.

"Well, I always did like picking flowers for my mama, and my dad would take me out a lot on hunting trips." His expression became sad and he lowered his head to look at his folded hands resting in his lap as he said, "I miss them."

I knew exactly how he felt. "Oh Shippo." I pulled him into my arms, missing the expressions of awe that passed over Inuyasha and Miroku's faces.

Night had come quickly, and it was almost too dark to see, so I set up my cloak as a makeshift blanket to sleep under. Shippo looked like he felt out of place, so I asked, "Would you like to sleep with me under the blanket?" Shippo nodded his head eagerly and snuggled his way into my arms, immediately settling down and went to sleep almost instantly. I bent my arm at the elbow so that I could rest my head on my fist.

I was still awake, as were Miroku and Inuyasha, so all three of us laid in silence for a while just staring at the dwindling fire. Inuyasha nodded towards me with his head, "It's because of your scent."

Miroku and I both gave him looks like he was crazy until he better explained himself. "Your scent calms him down. For demons, scent is very important. Your scent must have a very soothing effect on him if he settled down so quickly."

Miroku asked, "And it has no effect on you, Inuyasha? Since you too are part demon?" His eyebrows wiggled mischievously. Inuyasha threw a rock at him, effectively knocking Miroku out cold as he muttered, "Stupid lech." I couldn't help but laugh outright at that, and found myself wanting to clutch my sides in laughter, yet also not wanting to disturb Shippo, who was now resting peacefully in my arms.

Inuyasha looked at me confusedly and asked, "Now WHAT is your problem?"

"You can't--ever—accept anything slightly embarrassing that—Miroku says, and you always --knock him out with something." My sentence was interrupted by a few fits of quiet laughter.

"Oh, and that amuses you?" He asked with a slight blush on his face.

"Highly." He looked away, "I see." "And what else amuses you?" He asked playfully.

Kami! How many different sides did this man have! He moved closer to me from the other side of the fire, slowly, like he was stalking me. "Well," I started, trying not to give away my nervousness in my voice, "it amuses me that you always have to be the man and have the last word in everything I do or say."

"Feh wench." He had moved so that he was sitting on the side of me that Shippo wasn't on and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I always get the last word because I'm always right."

"You are not alw-" "AAAAhhhhahahahah!!" Inuyasha had started tickling me and I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, although trying to keep my laughing quiet was painful, and Inuyasha knew this.

I rolled over away from Shippo so as to protect him from my flailing limbs. Inuyasha followed right along, not stopping the tickle attack for a moment.

"Say it wench. Say I'm always right."

"NO!!! Never!!" I whispered loudly, but I kept laughing. "Consider this your punishment. Admit that I'm ALWAYS right." I hated blackmail…and he was certainly a master at it. "No!" I kept laughing, "You're not always right!" My words were shouted whispers.

The overload of tickling continued for a good few more minutes, me trying to resist Inuyasha with every new sensitive spot he found. And when I tried to roll away, he'd catch me again, effectively pinning me to the ground.

Eventually, Inuyasha found a highly sensitive spot on my stomach, causing me to buck up uncontrollably, causing my nose and lips to lightly brush against Inuyasha's chin.

He sucked in a deep breath and pulled back instantaneously, and I had realized what I'd done after a few short moments. To a dog youkai, what I had done was considered a form of submission—to a mate.

I looked up and found Inuyasha had moved to the mouth of the cave, staring out into the darkness.

Inuyasha was breathing deeply and had his back turned to me as I stared him down. But, Inuyasha was having a hard time controlling his instincts, I could tell, and was probably trying to convince himself that what I had done was not of my own free will and definitely did not mean what he thought it meant.

I had stood up and walked over to where he now was, and was going to place my hand on his shoulder, but Inuyasha turned to me suddenly before I got there and dipped his head, which surprised me greatly, stopping with our lips only centimeters apart. I stopped breathing for a moment as his hand went up to grasp my cheek and he stared into my eyes, breath lightly fanning over my lips.

I felt my eyes half close, waiting and wanting for him to lean in and kiss me. _WAIT, KISS ME!?!?!?_

When I suddenly felt cold. When I opened my eyes, Inuyasha was nowhere to be found.

muhahaha, luckily I plan on updating real soon.

Til then,

3 AkaiiNeko


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